Louisiana school agrees to stop broadcasting public prayer for good

(CNN)A school district in Louisiana has acknowledged that some of its customs and practices, including sponsoring morning prayer over the public address system, have violated the First Amendment.

The admission comes as part of a consent decree agreed upon by the district, Christy Cole and her daughter, Kaylee. The Coles sued in January after saying they’d had enough of what they called forced prayer in school. In their lawsuit, they alleged the Webster Parish School District engaged in a systematic, official promotion of religion.

The consent decree does not have any impact beyond Webster Parish, but ACLU lawyer Bruce Hamilton said it sets a precedent for how schools act with regards to prayer and religious proselytizing.